


Come Back to Me

by Honeypop



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2013-04-27
Packaged: 2017-12-09 15:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/775982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeypop/pseuds/Honeypop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric is married to Freyda, the Queen of Oklahoma, and Sookie is forced into marriage with Felipe De Castro. A couple of years go by, and Eric and Sookie's paths cross once again. Will they accept their fate, or will they fight for something they thought could never be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Back to Me

“Ugh.” Freyda rolled her eyes as their car pulled up at the gates. “Felipe has no taste whatsoever. Look at that over-the-top Baroque gilding.”

“Hmm.”

“Why he feels the need to flaunt his wealth in such a tacky way, I will never understand.”

Eric stared out of the window as they were waved through the gates, and carried on down the driveway. His eyes wouldn't focus. In his head all he could see was her face.

“Just wait until we get inside,” Freyda continued. “Then you will really know what the term kitsch really means. It's like Graceland in there.” She looked over at him. “Eric?”

“What?” His voice was quiet, his mind still on other things.

“Have you even heard a word I've said this whole journey?”

“I've heard,” he said, with a sigh. “I still don't know why we have to be here.”

“It's called networking, darling. We scratch his back, he scratches ours.”

Eric had no desire or need for a back-scratch from Felipe. Neither did he want to think about who was scratching the king's.

The driveway seemed to go on forever, further lengthened by their driver keeping the slow pace requested by the guard at the gate. Freyda was talking again, about money and business deals and alliances. He knew he should be listening. He knew he should at least feign interest. He didn't have the energy.

“I might have known,” Freyda said.

“Hmm?”

“All that bullshit about you being over your little telepath. Do you think I'm an idiot?”

“No,” Eric said, looking over at her. “I don't think you're an idiot. But I do think this is a pointless exercise. De Castro may be rich, but his reputation is hardly one of great renown, is it? Less of a forward-thinking, wise and charismatic leader and more of a Hispanic, vampire Hugh Heffner. We will find no benefit in an alliance with him.”

“Perhaps a few years ago,” Freyda said, amused, “but he's settled down, now. He's married, remember? The pool party days are over. He's more serious than he looks, anyway. You should know better than to underestimate a king. I seem to recall he took your old area without much effort. He can't be that hopeless.”

Eric didn't answer. Thankfully, or perhaps not, they had arrived. Their doors were opened, and Eric got out of the car and walked around to take Freyda's hand. He looked up at the façade of the building. He couldn't quite place the architectural style; it was somewhere between neoclassical and Disneyland. He looked back up the drive, and his jaw almost dropped at the sight of a huge marble statue of Felipe at the centerpiece of an impressive fountain, classical Greek style. Eric wondered which part of Felipe the water sprang from when it was switched on.

“Lovely, don't you think?” Freyda said sarcastically. “I'll get one made of you, when we get home.”

Eric raised an eyebrow at her.

“Great. We can put it in the entrance hall. Our guests can hang their hats on my co-”

“Freyda! My beautiful queen!” Felipe trotted down the steps of the portico towards them. “Welcome, welcome!” He lightly kissed her on both cheeks. “Eric, it has been too long. Welcome both of you, to my humble abode.”

Eric was almost sad to note that the King was sans cape. He was instead dressed in a very smart and expensive-looking gray suit, and his long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Eric wondered if Sookie had gently encouraged him to ditch the overly theatrical capes. He wondered if she'd fixed his hair. He remembered a time when she liked to do his own.

“Come, we have so much catching up to do.”

Freyda took Felipe's arm as they walked into the house, and Eric trailed behind them, silently scowling at their fake smiles and banal pleasantries.

The interior was as tasteless as the exterior, all gold leaf and imported marble, genuine antique furniture and ornaments mixed in with poor, modern replicas. Portraits, landscapes, a whole gallery full of paintings covered the walls. Felipe was the sort of person who would see something and decide he had to have it, based solely on it's physical appearance, and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He would spend no time or effort getting to know the history or worth of something he owned. He would fall in love with something instantly and then decide it was worthless tomorrow, cast it aside, and forget it ever existed. That was a trait which Eric both loathed and admired.

Someone presented him with a tray of champagne glasses full of warm blood, and he took one. As he sipped, a painting at the top of the grand staircase caught his eye. It was a portrait of a beautiful woman, in a flowing red gown. Her long, blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in tactile waves, so soft you could touch them. Her pose was feminine yet strong; her shoulders back and her chin high. Her eyes were challenging, curious, her gaze unwavering.

Eric was mesmerized.

“Since the untimely and mysterious disappearance of Victor, I have had a couple of replacements,” Felipe was saying. “Neither of them being entirely suitable.”

“It can be so difficult,” Freyda said sympathetically. She looked at Eric. “And Victor did such great work in Louisiana, I heard. It is a terrible loss.” She turned back to Felipe. “Did you ever find out what happened to him?”

“Sadly, no.”

“A great tragedy,” Eric said.

“Indeed. Ah, here she is, my radiant beauty.”

Felipe put his glass down on a nearby table and stepped forward, looking up the staircase. Eric focused his attention on a minion, who swiftly removed the glass and wiped up the moisture which had been left behind. He folded his cloth over his arm and stood back to attention. Eric closed his eyes for a moment. He wished he could be anywhere else.

“Come, my darling, our guests are already arrived.”

Eric knew he would look conspicuous staring at a servant's napkin for much longer, and forced himself to tear his eyes away. His face slowly turned, and he gradually and reluctantly raised his eyes.

There she stood, her hand resting on the handrail. Eric could hardly believe it was her. He had tried so hard to forget her. He had told himself they would never cross paths again, and that it would be better for the both of them that way. He had reminded himself how weak he had become, how distracted, how human, during their time together. He had almost believed that he could move on. Yet there she stood, a vision of love and beauty, and all that good work he had done was for naught. If he had not prepared for it, he might have dropped to his knees at the very sight of her. _Had he really fooled himself into believing he no longer needed her?_

A wave of familiar emotions rushed through him, emotions he had not felt in some time. Their eyes met for a brief second, and Eric thought he saw a flash of something in them, something he couldn't quite place. There was a time when he knew exactly what Sookie was feeling, almost what she was thinking, even, when he felt the warmth and comfort of her every waking hour. No longer.

Suddenly, she was smiling brightly. Eric knew that smile. It was what she liked to call her crazy waitress smile. It was the default one she used in awkward situations.

Eric watched as she made her way down the steps. Her hair was up, all tied back in some sort of elaborate bun, and delicate loose, stray curls framed her face. She wore lots of make-up, lots more than Eric ever remembered her wearing, and some fancy diamond drop earrings with a matching necklace and cuff, which, again, were not very Sookie-like. Her dress was short, strapless, and bright pink, and the heels of her expensive strappy sandals were surely a couple of inches too high to be practical for walking down long staircases in your own home.

Felipe took her hand for the last few steps, and he presented her to them.

“I'm sure you remember my darling wife, and queen, Sookie.”

 _Queen Sookie._ If the circumstances had been different he might have laughed at that, and she would probably have laughed along with him. As it was, all he could do was stand there, as still and cold as that ridiculous marble statue outside.

“Of course,” Freyda said. “The sweet, Southern telepath. How could we forget.” Sookie gave the slightest of dips in deference to the queen, and Freyda gave a couple of air-kisses.

“Your Majesty.” She glanced Eric's way. “Eric.”

Eric gave her a nod. He wondered if she was expecting a hug. A hug would probably be inappropriate. Vampires didn't hug. He desperately wanted to hug her.

“Do you still use your little gift,” Freyda said, “when you have the time?”

“Oh, sometimes,” Sookie said, as coyly as she could manage. “You know, when I'm not busy shopping or sunbathing or whatever.”

“My Sookie loves to shop!” Felipe said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. “Just last week she bought me a new grand piano for our music room!”

“How delightful!” Freyda said. “I didn't know you played.”

“He's just a regular ol' Elton John,” Sookie said, adding some forced laughter. “He writes his own tunes and everything.” She turned to the king. “Maybe later you could play for us, honey.”

Felipe turned away, pretending to be embarrassed, but Eric could tell he wanted nothing more than to show off his terrible piano-playing skills. The thought of it, and the way Felipe pressed more kisses on Sookie's hand, was almost enough for him to be sticking silver pins in his eyes. He wished he'd had the forethought to bring some.

“Later, perhaps,” Felipe said. “I am not very good, but my dear queen encourages me to practice whenever I have a spare moment.” He grasped both her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. “Truly, I do not know where I would be without my sweet, sweet love, spurring me on to be the best I can be in all my endeavors.”

_Pins, I need pins._

“We'll make a Liberace of you yet!” Sookie said, grinning.

“Yes!”

Sookie wrinkled her nose at him and they made a strange giggly noise at each other.

_Forget the pins, a stake would be better._

“Let's go sit, shall we?” Felipe said, leading them all on. Eric stepped forward, and Freyda took his arm, and when he looked down at her, she was looking back at him with a face that betrayed her amusement at the whole awkward situation. _Bitch._ Eric still couldn't understand the game she was playing here. _Was it some sort of test? Did she want him to prove his loyalty, or did she just want to see him squirm for her own sick pleasure?_ He had been trying to think of what he could have done recently to deserve such treatment, but as far as he could recall, he had carried out every duty she had asked of him, to the best of his ability. He might not always be over-eager about it, and he might be stubborn and high-handed, in fact, he might occasionally ignore her orders altogether, but then, what did she expect, marrying a fucking Viking?

Fredya had been right about something, though, the place was like Graceland, only more eclectic. Eric was amused to see an entire mirrored wall, a minibar, a whole zoo full of fake fur, and a bright pop art print of Felipe's face, Warhol style.

“Is that...?”

“A dance floor, yes,” Felipe said, finishing Freyda's sentence for her. “We like to entertain in this room, and my Sookie does love to dance!”

“And the bar?” Freyda said, looking at Sookie. “You still like to serve the drinks?”

Sookie gave a shrug.

“I never knew anyone who could make a better margarita than me,” she said pleasantly. She looked over at the bar. “It's not Merlotte's, but it's my little piece of home.”

If he didn't know her better, Eric would think it was incredibly sad, a grown woman staring with such love and affection at a minibar. Eric understood what it represented to her.

They sat there for a while, sipping on expensive blood substitutes and champagne cocktails, while Felipe and Freyda tried to verbally one-up one another about the state of the areas they ruled over. Every so often, Eric would glance over at Sookie, but it seemed as though she was determined not to return his gaze.

He noted how stiffly she was sitting, and how she rarely cast a glance at her husband, either. He saw that behind all the jewelry and make-up, Sookie was just a pale shadow of the bright, talented star that had once shone so brightly in his own life. He'd remembered how her eyes used to sparkle when she saw him, how her face would light up when he held his arms out to her, and she would take a running start and leap into them. He remembered lifting her, spinning her, lowering her slowly and kissing her the way only he knew how. She took so much joy in simple pleasures. She had been the light of his life.

“Sir?”

“Hmm?”

“Another drink?”

Eric looked up at the minion standing beside him, and shook his head. He held out his empty glass to be taken away.

“No.”

He glanced to his right, at Freyda, and she smiled back at him.

“Shall we retire to your office for a short while, Felipe?” Freyda said. “I believe we have things to discuss.”

“Oh yes, of course.” Felipe turned to Sookie. “Will you be, er...”

“Maybe Eric would like to see the gardens,” Sookie said, more animated than she'd been all evening. “They're quite beautiful, even at night.”

“Er-” Felipe was making a strange choked sound, somewhere between concerned and annoyed.

“Don't worry, honey,” Sookie said, putting a hand lightly on his arm. “If there's anything lurking in the gardens out to get me, I'm sure there's more than enough guards to take care of me. And Eric, too, of course.” She gave him a quick smile, before turning back to Felipe. “You two go on and do whatever boring ol' monarch business you need to do. We'll be alright.” She quickly stood before there could be any further argument, and Eric stood too. “I want to know how things are with Pam. Is she okay?”

“Oh, she's quite okay,” Eric said. “She opened that late night dry-cleaners she had been talking about for so long, just last month.”

Sookie laughed, and he followed her onward, out of the door.

“Yeah?”

“ _Dead Clean_. She has her fingers in more pies than ever, and Fangtasia is thriving, so I hear. I haven't visited for a while.”

“I haven't been in Louisiana for a while either,” Sookie said, sadly. They stopped at a table by the entrance, and Sookie bent down to undo the straps of her sandals.

“Do you see your brother?” Eric asked. “Your friend Tara? Sam?”

“Oh,” Sookie stood straight and glanced behind her, at Felipe, who was leading Freyda in the direction of his study. “No.”

Eric side-eyed her. She shucked off her heels and someone was immediately beside her, holding out a pair of old sneakers. Sookie thanked the guy and took them, and slipped them on. Then he was holding up a jacket, and Sookie slipped that on, too.

“He seems useful to have around,” Eric said, as they walked down the stone steps.

“Everyone's real helpful,” Sookie said. “I hardly have to do a thing around here.” She gestured to the right. The gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked. Sookie always enjoyed a nicely graveled driveway. He smiled at the memory.

“Something funny?” Sookie said, looking up at him.

“No.” Eric had been in battle situations which were funnier than this. “Are you warm enough?”

“Oh, I'm fine,” Sookie answered, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets.

“I like your fountain,” Eric said teasingly.

"Isn't it hilarious? Would you believe it was a gift for me? He had me come outside with my eyes closed and everything.”

“Where did he tie the bow?”

Sookie giggled, and Eric smiled at the sound.

“No bow.”

“What was your initial reaction?”

“I told him to put some pants on it.”

Eric laughed.

“It leaves very little to the imagination. Not that I spend a lot of time imagining Felipe naked.”

“Well, I'm sure the sight is ingrained on your memory forever now.”

They carried on through the gardens. Sookie pointed out particular parts of it that she'd helped with and planned. Eric felt eyes on the two of them, all around. After a while, they both stopped talking. There was so much he needed to say. He didn't have the words.

He stopped walking abruptly, and turned around sharply to face her.

“Are you happy?” he asked. “Tell me that you are happy.”

Sookie looked up at him, and then quickly away, gesturing around her with her hands.

“Sure.”

“I'm not talking about your herbaceous borders, Sookie.”

“I am happy.”

“No, you are not.”

“You told me to tell you I was happy.”

“But you're lying. Since when did you ever do anything I told you to do, anyway?”

Sookie smiled at that.

“Isn't it just easier to pretend?” she said. “It's not as though it'll change anything. This is my life now, and you have yours, too.”

Eric took her by the shoulders.

“Does he... is he good to you?”

“What? Eric-”

“If he isn't... if you are unhappy...”

“He's not mean to me, if that's what you want to know.” She shook herself free of his grasp, and took a step back. “I mean, he doesn't hurt me. I don't know whether he really loves me, he's not like...” She stopped and looked up at him. _Me_ , Eric thought. _He's not like me._

“He's like most vampires, I guess,” Sookie continued, “and he has a lot on his mind. But he's fond of me, I suppose, and he takes me along with him on all kinds of business to use my skills. He prefers me to keep it low-key, and act like a stupid dizzy blonde, as much as possible. Seen and not heard, you might say. He likes it that way. I guess he likes all the limelight himself. But I keep busy, and at least I feel useful sometimes.”

Eric took a moment to digest that information. While he was doing so, Sookie stepped over to a small bench and sat down. Eric went and sat beside her.

“A king such as him likes to appear as powerful and intelligent as possible,” Eric said. “It does not surprise me that he prefers to parade you around like a Barbie doll and pretend that you have no talent at all.”

Sookie shrugged.

“I've gotten used to it.”

Eric heard the dejection in her voice. He remembered how long it took her to develop her skills, to learn how to control them, to truly embrace her telepathy and her nature. It seemed like a waste, to him, to have her as nothing more than a trophy wife. If they'd stayed together, they would have been a formidable team. He would have been proud to have her at his side, proud of everything she was.

“Do not worry, Sookie,” he said, leaning his head down to hers. “There are many of my kind who still remember the name Sookie Stackhouse and tremble with fear.” He smiled a fangy grin.

“Oh, I'll bet.”

“You have more wit and intelligence in your little finger than he has in his whole body,” Eric said, and Sookie looked around and shushed him.

“You shouldn't talk like that here.”

“He can't hear us.”

“There's two voids, just behind,” Sookie whispered. “Vamps.”

“Mine.”

“What?”

“They are mine. Most of the guards here are.”

“What? How?” Sookie was at a loss for words. “When?”

“The last company Felipe used went out of business, quite suddenly. A quick replacement had to be found. Of course, he does not know that they work for me, but-”

“You got guards here? To spy on me?”

“To protect you.”

“Do they report to you? Do they tell you everything that happens here?”

Eric shrugged.

“They tell me what is important.”

“Like what?”

“That you are safe.”

Sookie stood up.

“I can't believe you did that.”

“I had to do something. This was all I could do.”

“Eric, you have to stop this. I'm not your problem anymore.”

Eric stood too.

“I do not want to interfere with your life," he said, suddenly angry at her. "I accepted your wish to marry him. This was just a-”

“Do you think I chose to live like this?" Sookie interrupted. "Dressing up and going to parties, people staring at me like I'm something from a circus sideshow? Married to a vampire I never even liked? Eric, I had no choice. We both had to do what we had to do to stay alive. Once you were gone, off to get married, it was just a matter of time, you knew that.”

“You still had a choice.”

“He was going to hurt people I loved. He was going to take my cousin. He threatened to hurt Jason. What was I supposed to do?”

“I didn't know,” Eric said quietly. He'd imagined, he'd guessed, but he hadn't really known. “I didn't know,” he repeated.

“How would you? Eric, I never expected you to do anything. This was my problem, not yours.”

“There was a time,” Eric said, “when we worked together. We fought for one another.”

Sookie closed her eyes and groaned.

“That was a long time ago. That was before you went and married someone else.”

“You still blame me for that,” Eric growled. “You know I had no other choice.”

“Just like me.” She reached forward and took his hand in hers. Eric felt her warmth immediately, and it seemed to spread through him. “It's not like I ever expected a happily ever after. Vampires don't think the same as humans, none of you supes do, and I was never going to settle down with a human guy.”

“I could have made you happy,” Eric said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “I wanted to make you happy. I did love you.”

“I know,” Sookie said.

“And now you love him.”

Sookie snorted.

“Why would I ever love someone who manipulated me into marrying him? Oh, wait, you did that too.”

“To protect you.”

“He'd probably say the same thing.”

“But you truly loved me,” Eric said. “You questioned it, but you did, even after the bond was severed.” He waited for her response. “Didn't you?”

“Yes,” Sookie said quietly. She pulled her hand from his and rubbed at her arms. “Let's move on, I'm getting cold.”

After they'd gone a little further, Sookie spoke again.

“Well, if you've got guards here, I guess you know how he keeps on going on about turning me.”

“What?”

“Oh, maybe you don't. Well, he doesn't know what effect it will have on my telepathy. It's the only thing that keeps him from doing it, other than, you know, the tasty blood. I guess he wants to keep me around, since I'm such an asset to his business. Plus he goes on about me getting old. I suppose he doesn't want an old lady for a wife.”

“You don't want that. You never wanted that before.”

“I don't want it now, either. But I don't see that I have much choice. Felipe still has ways of getting what he wants out of me. He might come across as being all friendly and sweet with me, but you and I both know how ruthless he can be when he wants his way.”

It was odd to Eric, seeing Sookie like this, seeing her so resigned to her fate. So powerless. She'd always been a fighter. Now it seemed like all the fight had been drained out of her.

“He intends to turn you, against your will?”

Sookie nodded.

“And he threatens to hurt your family,” Eric continued, “should you not comply with his wishes?”

Sookie nodded again, unable to meet his eyes.

“Yeah.”

“And you are unhappy. You are not allowed to see your loved ones, or visit Bon Temps. He controls you.”

“I'm trying to keep everyone alive. I'm not suggesting I'm some kind of martyr. I just want to try to do what's best.”

“You are doing nothing.” He stopped and turned to her. “You are not the woman I once knew.”

Sookie was quiet for a moment. She looked down at her sneakers.

“Maybe I'm not.”

Eric felt exasperated. He wanted his Sookie back. He wanted to see the fierce determination, the stubborn will, the passion.

He did the only thing he could think of doing in that moment.

He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him, and his lips were on hers in an instant. She tried to resist for all of a couple of seconds, but then he felt her body relax a little and he released his grip on her, his hands stroking, wandering over her body. Certain parts he squeezed, his fingers massaging. It was as though he had only had her in his arms moments ago, not years. Her kiss was as it ever was; passionate, teasing and incredibly hot. He wanted to feel her lips all over him, the warmth of her tongue on his body, her teeth nipping at his skin....

“Eric.” His lips were at her neck now, pressing kisses below her ear. “Stop.”

“No.”

“You have to stop.”

“I can't.”

He kissed her again, harder this time, over and over. He felt her fingers grasping at his shirt, half pushing him away, half tugging at the material to expose his naked skin. Her fingers snaked underneath, and her other hand reached up to grab his hair.

Just as he felt her reach around to get her hands on his butt, she pulled away.

“Are you crazy?!”

Eric stared at her, his fangs out, his body cold again.

“Probably.”

“Felipe will go mad, Freyda will too. You got a death wish?”

He stepped forward, trying to close the distance again.

“I can't live like this any longer, Sookie. You and I are both living a lie. We are both unhappy. I still love you.”

Sookie pulled her jacket tighter around her, and looked down at her feet.

“If Felipe-”

“Did you hear what I just said, Sookie? I love you. I never stopped loving you.”

“I... I can't-”

“Tell me. You must tell me.” He took another step forward and took her hand. “I made a mistake when I left. I thought it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't. I can make it right, but I have to know. If you do not feel the same, if you no longer care for me I will understand, and I will leave you alone.”

Sookie squeezed at his fingers. Eric could see that she was fighting with herself, trying to frame her response, thinking with her heart one moment, and with her brain the next. He waited, patiently.

“I never stopped loving you either,” she said finally. “I think about you every day. When something stupid happens that nobody laughs at, I imagine your booming laughter filling the room. When I say something stupid, I imagine you rolling your eyes at me, and then hugging and kissing me when I pout at you. On my wedding day, I thought about nothing else but you. I cried the whole evening. Everyone assumed it was because I was overwhelmed at marrying Felipe, and I was gonna be queen, but it was the worst day of my life. Every day I imagine how things might be if it was us, if this was our home, and I was your queen instead of Felipe's. I imagine running down that staircase into your arms.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me going.”

Eric looked down at her face. How could he have done this to the one thing her ever truly cared about? He hated himself for it. He would make it right.

"Come back to me," Eric said, stroking the tears away. "I promise you, I will never fail you ever again. Let me back into your heart."

Sookie took his wrist in her hand and stroked his skin.

"You never left it."

Eric felt a weight drop from his shoulders. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine she could ever still love him. He promised himself in that moment that he would never waste another second with her. He would do everything he could to make her happy. No one would threaten her, or hurt her, or suppress her, ever again.

He grabbed her hand and started back the way they came, pulling her with him.

“Eric-”

Eric gestured to his right, to something or someone Sookie herself could not see in the darkness.

“On my command,” he said. His voice was filled with determination.

“What... Eric, what's-”

“I was a fool. I hope that you can forgive me.”

“Who did you just speak to?”

“One of my men. I am not entirely prepared, but they are ready. There cannot be more than twelve of Felipe's people in there, the rest are mine. You will help me locate them.”

“But... we can't.”

“We can.”

“No.”

Eric stopped and turned to her.

“We can do this. You and I, we have never gone into battle and failed. Do not worry, Felipe has few supporters, and Freyda's people follow me, not her.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Seeing you was the impetus I needed, my lover. Don't you feel it? The energy? I feel alive again.”

“You're going to fight them? And then what?”

“And then you and I will reign supreme,” Eric said, grinning. “And we will be together, as we always should have been. Or we can leave, and be together. It doesn't matter.” He took her hand again and pulled her along. Sookie seemed confused and not entirely certain about this sudden turn of events, but it seemed all she could do was be carried along on the wave Eric was riding.

They finally turned the corner back to the house, and then they were running up the steps. They stopped at the door.

“How many in there?” he asked.

“Fourteen vamps, including Felipe and Freyda. Six humans, all staff. Don't kill them, I like them.”

Eric nodded. “Are you ready, lover?” he whispered. The guards were forming all around, more than Sookie realized had been lurking in the shadows, if her face was anything to go by.

She took a moment, looking at him. Then she reached up and grabbed him behind the neck, and kissed him for all she was worth. She pulled away, and Eric saw the fire was back behind her eyes. Then she nodded.

The door opened, and Eric immediately grabbed the huge antique broadsword that hung on the wall. He swung it around a couple of times, feeling it's weight, testing the balance. Sookie shucked off her jacket, and someone helpfully handed her a stake.

They looked at one another, and smiled.

And then they went to work.

**Author's Note:**

> This story came out of an anonymous request submitted to my tumblr fanfic blog at tb-and-svm-minifics.tumblr.com. The prompt was "Eric marries the Queen, sookie is taken by Felipe De castro, they get married and he flaunts her around like a Barbie doll, and Eric and the queen Visit Felipe at his house and hell breaks loose, is this too specific or?" Thanks to whoever requested it.
> 
> I don't own these characters, but I do love them like my own. Like that time I had to look after my friend's hamster, and I got really attached to it, and I pretended for a while it was mine. Then I handed it over again, AND THE BEAUTIFUL, SWEET RODENT THAT DESERVED SO MUCH LOVE AND ATTENTION DIED AND WAS THROWN IN THE BIN AND MY FRIEND DIDN'T CARE BECAUSE IT HAD SERVED IT'S HAMSTER PURPOSE AND SHE JUST GOT A CAT INSTEAD.
> 
> Sorry. I just have a lot of feelings right now.


End file.
